August 18, 2016
A 65-year-old woman facing ruin after sending her life savings to a dating site conman has been convicted of money laundering after she unwittingly passed cash to the scammer from other victims. Sherroll Foster, from Uxbridge, west London, was spared jail after admitting the offence at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, but was ordered to repay £3,500 to another victim. She has already lost £65,000 and been plunged into debt after taking out an overdraft, personal loans and payday loans, and using credit cards to send money to a man in Ghana that she thought was her “soulmate”.
In fact, the ruse was a scam by a gang targeting women over the age of 60 who use dating websites. “Please don’t give your bank details to people you don’t know personally and never allow funds to be placed in your account for transferring on. This is money laundering and carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.”